Winter 2013

From behind the pile . . .

I am writing this following the completion of the last fundraising event for PALS for the 2013 calendar year.

The last event in fact, with the exception of handing out the raffle prizes and making the deposit, before Joan

and I take a break from the chaos that is PALS. Which is a funny thing for me to say, given that I have only

been with the organization since April 1st, I can honestly say I feel like I have been here for years.

The 8 months have been filled with a very sharp learning curve, one that I am positive that is not even close

to being finished yet. Which is fine as it makes for an exciting work day. We have had some wonderful special

visits that will be becoming regular visits in the New Year, the new addition to our programming with the

very successful Puppy Rooms at SAIT, St Mary’s University and the University of Calgary, a record setting in-

take of new volunteers at our most recent evaluation, the completion of our 3 year strategic plan, and the

soon to be released new website. But most importantly, through all of this we worked side by side with the

most valuable partner that PALS has—our volunteers!

2014 is lining up to be a busy one for PALS. We have our casino in May, and a fundraiser to plan before the

casino happens, our AGM before that and another recruitment of new volunteers before that. PALS will be

looking for more board members, committee members and evaluators and interviewers to help out during

Holiday Office Closure

The PALS office will be closed from

December 19 to January 3, 2014

We will re-open at 8 am on Jan. 6, 2014

In case of emergency please call Diana on her cell phone at 403-680-1796.

recruitment. This is an exciting time for PALS!

But for now I would like to thank you for your support and

kindness and wish you a peaceful time this holiday season filled

with family, friends and of course animals!

Committee Members Needed! PALS is fortunate to have some of the most amazing volunteers in

Calgary and area! It is past time that we start acknowledging the

very people that make what we do possible. We are looking for a

committee to create a Volunteer Recognition Event.

If you are interested please give

Diana a call at the office 403-250-7257

Potential new program being investigated for PALS The Calgary Airport Authority has approached PALS to

see if there is any interest in partnering with them in

creating a program similar to the ones currently run-

ning in the International Airports in Los Angles, Fort

Lauderdale-Hollywood, San Jose, Miami, and as of De-

cember 6 San Francisco International

Airport.

Stress at the airport has been on the

rise dramatically since 9/11 and is ex-

pected to continue with the increased

security that brings longer wait times

and intense scrutiny. In addition, air

travel by itself can be very stressful.

Not everyone is a happy flier to begin

with and then adding in the long lines, the waiting,

handling the luggage, the security and finding your

gate it can often be more than you can handle. A soft

coat and a wagging tail can be a very welcome sight in

the midst of the madness.

PALS is considering this new program

as it fits with our vision and mission

and is interested in knowing what you

the volunteers think and if you would

be interested in considering this as a

volunteer placement.

Please contact Diana, either by phone

403-250-7257 or email

Diana@palspets.com & let me know

your thoughts. I will be very interest-

ed in hearing them!

PALS memberships

are due!! and membership has it privileges!

PALS members:

receive either a reduced fee or no charge to workshops hosted by

PALS. There will be 2 coming up in the New Year so watch your email

Voting privileges at the AGM

PALS quarterly newsletter

Discounted admission at any event that PALS hosts

If you have any questions please do not

hesitate to contact the office and

Diana and Joan would be happy to

help you or answer any questions.

403-250-7257

The most convenient way for all concerned is to go to our website www.palspets.com, click on Giving & Support and then Membership. You can pay your membership online using a secure PayPal account that has been set up for us. We are notified that you have paid us, what you have paid us for, and how much you have paid. The money is deposited directly into our bank account. There's no need for you to set up any kind of account, and the

added benefit is that PayPal charges much less for the service than either Visa or Mastercard does, so PALS comes out ahead.

Vaccination will help your pet by providing him/her with protection against certain diseases that may be caused by bacteria or viruses. Pets are vaccinated against diseases which are potentially life-threatening, highly infectious and either have no treatment or are costly to treat if your pet does be-come infected. The best way to ensure your pet has a long and healthy life is to keep vaccinations up to date, along with an annual examination. Key reasons to vaccinate your pet to protect your pet against a multitude of serious diseases that may be debilitating or life-threatening and to protect against rabies – a fatal disease which may be trans-mitted from wildlife to your pets. As a newborn, your pet obtained protective antibod-ies during nursing from his/her mother. As your pup-py or kitten ages, this maternal protection diminish-es, and your pet becomes increasingly susceptible to disease. Puppies and kittens need a series of boost-ers to ensure that memory is created within your young pet’s immune system to enable it to recognize foreign bacteria or viruses and to pick up where ma-ternal antibodies leave off. Pets that do not com-plete the series are not protected against (and can die from) contagious viruses. The risks associated with vaccination are extremely small, and the potential health risks associated with not vaccinating are generally much greater. When any vaccine is given to an animal, there is a small, potential risk that your pet may have a reaction. These reactions can range from relatively mild facial swelling and hives, to more serious cases of vomit-ing, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, and collapse. As in humans, vaccinations may cause a severe, anaphy-lactic reaction in some individuals. However, please remember that these occurrences are rare, and do not outweigh the overwhelming benefit to the vast majority of animals to be protected against certain diseases. The protection which is provided by a vaccine will generally decrease over time. To ensure that your dog's immune system can defend itself from infec-

tious diseases, periodic booster vaccines are re-quired. Some vaccine may last several years, while other may produce immunity for a year. Keep in mind that the most important reason for vis-iting your veterinarian annually is to have your pet thoroughly examined so that health problems can be detected early. Annual physical exams are essential in maintaining your pet’s quality of life. Vaccinations and your pets health care can be confusing issues and your veterinarian is your best resource for any questions or concerns you may have.

Sharpen Up Your Pet Vaccine Know-how

PALS Vaccination Protocol

PALS dogs, cats and those coming into the program must have current protection against rabies. Proof of vaccination indi-cating the date of vaccination and next due date is acceptable. A titre count indi-cating adequate protection is acceptable however this must be submitted on an annual basis.

Joan needs this information to pass on to the facility where you are placed and for our PALS records.

New face at the PALS office For those of you who have not paid a visit to the office lately, you have not

had the pleasure of meeting PALS latest wannabe Bobbi. She is newest ad-

dition to Joan and Warren’s family and spends her day doing what she can

to keep Diana on her toes.

She is cute beyond belief and tenacious is her middle name and she wear it

with pride! However she has brought the joy back into Joan and Warren’s

life and for that I guess I will put up with the chewed cords, mangled blinds and untied shoe laces.

Drop by and meet Bobbi and do your part in helping her along the path towards being a PALS dog. Just tie back

any long hair, double tie your shoelaces and for heavens sake if you pick her up keep your mouth closed!

PALS is part of the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon

Charity Challenge

Come and join us!

You can—be part of our team Healing Paws

and walk or run and fundraise for PALS

OR

You can support someone on our team!

Help us fundraise today!

Give Camelia or Diana at call today

if you are interested in signing up!

403-250-7257

BowDog is excited to announce that

registration is now open for our

2014 Training and Athletics Program

which now includes a

K9 Good Neighbour Preparation class.

This 8 week class will teach you all the skills required to pass the K9 Good Neighbour Evaluation Test, which will be offered at the end of each session. Canine Good Neighbour training is fun, rewarding, and useful in achiev-ing the skills required to become a PALS volunteer.

BowDog Canine Specialists offer well-rounded education that is effective and fun in a positive environment. We believe training should strengthen the bond between human and dog, while getting the results you look for in a well behaved canine family member.

Visit www.bowdog.ca and get registered today!

Special Visits

PALS has been super busy with special

visits lately. With Hallowe’en Parties to

Candy Cane Gala special appearances ,

from puppy rooms to visiting with San-

ta, and everything in between you have

been there.

We thank you for your dedication to

PALS and your ability to always rise to

the occasion!

Thank You!

Learn to speak dog Reprinted from the website www.doggonesafe.com

Dog behavior is complex and the signals that dogs send are often subtle. The following is not intended to be a treatise on dog behavior. It is intended to alert you to situations that could compromise a persons safety around dogs. A individual seeing potential danger signs in their dog's behavior are en-couraged to err on the side of caution and implement dog bite prevention measures (increase supervision and use physical barriers when supervision is not possible) until it can be deter-mined whether the dog is actually a danger and if so, until the problem is resolved through consultation with the appropriate professional. Many dog bites could be prevented if we were aware of the subtle communication signs that dogs send when they are anxious. An anxious dog is much more likely to bite than is a happy dog. There is a big difference between a dog that is tol-erating interactions with children and a dog that is actually enjoying these interactions. One of the most common things we hear from an bite victims and the parents of child victims is "I wish I'd known...". We don't want you ever to have to say that. We want you to know and we are going to tell you. So read on... Many dogs are exceptionally tolerant of mishandling by both kids and adults. They show signs of anxiety, yet never get to the point of biting. Other dogs tolerate things they don't enjoy for a period of time, or from certain people and not others, but at some point they have just had enough and they growl or snap. Most people are shocked when this happens. "He has never bitten anyone before" or "there was no warning", they say. Dog behavior experts will tell you that there is always a warning, it is just that most people do not know how to inter-pret dog body language. Signs of Anxiety These signs indicate that your dog is uncomfortable with the current situation and there is a need for intervention to pre-

vent pushing the dog to the point of biting and to make sure your canine friend is happy and not feeling anxious. They can include: one paw raised, half moon eye, displaced behaviours such as yawning when not tired, licking chops with-out the presence of food, sudden scratching when not itchy, sudden biting at paws or other body part, sudden sniffing the ground or other object, or wet dog shake when not wet or dirty. These are all things that dogs do anyway. Avoidance Behaviors Sometimes dogs are more overt when they feel anxious and want to remove themselves from a situation. Please don't force a dog to stay in situation in which he feels anxious, espe-cially if children are the source of his anxiety. Here are some examples: the dog gets up and leaves an uncomfortable situa-tion (he may bite rather than leaving one of these days), turn-ing head away, hiding behind person or object, barking and retreating or the dog rolls over on back in submissive way.

Signs of Aggression If your dog shows signs of aggression then you should get help from a behavior consultant right away. Signs directed toward you or another person that indicate the need for professional help include the following: growl, guarding, snap and miss, snarl, aggressive barking which is not stopped by your request for quiet, lunging on or off the leash, with barking or growling, bite, dog raises tail when you or child approach Signs of Imminent Bite If these signs occur, cease all interaction with dog, look away and give dog the opportunity to leave, do not approach, do not make eye contact, do not talk to the dog. If you are touch-ing the dog, stop and move your hands slowly away. If you are taking something from the dog, let go of it. It is better for him to keep it than for you or a child to get bitten. If you are bend-ing over the dog, slowly straighten up and look away. Signs of a Happy Dog Signs that indicate that the dog is receptive to attention or wants to play: panting, relaxed, happy expression, body posi-tion relaxed, lying with one paw tucked under, enthusiastic tail wag, tail thumping on floor, or play bow (front end down; rear end up; tail wagging).

Half moon eye Yawning One paw raised Happy dog

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You can also

donate to PALS

through

DONOR CHOICE

A tax receipt will be issued for all donations of

#25.00 or more and mailed via Canada Post.

Please ensure to fill out your complete mailing

address so we may mail out your tax receipt

without delay.

PALS Pet League Access Society 2013 fundraising campaigns is expected to

raise approximately $100k at an approximate cost of $10K. Proceeds will

be used where most need unless otherwise directed by the donor. Our

Charitable registration number is 10781

1879 RR0001. PALS is located at 3019 21st

Street NE, Calgary, AB T2E 7T1, phone

403-250-7257 and contact Executive

Director Diana Segboer for any questions.